SAN RAFAEL — The Bay Area’s first storm of the season may have contributed to the partial roof collapse Tuesday morning at a HomeGoods store at Northgate mall, according to authorities.

Employees were inside the store, but it was not yet open for business, when the tiles first began to fall just after 7 a.m., according to the San Rafael Fire Department. The area of the collapse occurred near the store’s entrance.

“Everyone got outside right as the tiles began to come down,” San Rafael Fire Capt. Chris Cooper told ABC7.

In San Rafael, .49 inches of rain was reported as of 9 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

“We believe it was probably weather related,” Cooper told ABC7. “The heavy rains this morning and no other reason to suspect the structural integrity of the building.”

There were no injuries reported from the collapse.

The fire department is working with city building inspectors to evaluate the structure.

Mark Gomez has worked for the Mercury News since 1992, including the past ten years as a reporter on the breaking news/public safety team. He is a South Bay native and graduate of San Jose State University.

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